Discount of Cover Crop Premium available for farmers in 50 Indiana counties

Indianapolis: The Indiana State Department of Agriculture is back with a great program for farmers. They’ve teamed up with The Nature Conservancy and others to offer a Cover Crop Premium Discount for the fifth year running.

This program is all about helping farmers who plant cover crops by giving them a break on their crop insurance premiums. It’s a smart way to encourage more farmers to plant cover crops, especially since these crops aren’t always covered by other incentives. This year, it’s available in 50 counties across Indiana.

Don Lamb, the director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture, is really excited about this. He mentioned that last year, only 26 counties could participate, but now they’ve nearly doubled that for 2025. Cover crops are great for soil health, but they can be pricey, so this discount is super helpful for farmers looking to improve their soil.

Last year, the program saw 101 farmers join in, leading to over 30,000 acres of cover crops planted in Indiana. That’s a big win for the environment and for farmers alike!

Farmers who plant cover crops on their land can get a $5 discount per acre on their crop insurance. If they planted cover crops in the fall of 2024, they can apply for this discount. It’s a nice little incentive to keep things green.

Some of the counties included in this program are Bartholomew, Boone, Brown, and many more. It’s a long list, which means a lot of farmers can take advantage of this opportunity.

Cover cropping has tons of benefits. It boosts organic matter, improves soil health, and helps with water management. Plus, it keeps nutrients from washing away into nearby streams. In 2023, Indiana farmers planted a record 1.7 million acres of cover crops, which is pretty impressive!

To get the best results, farmers need to follow good practices when seeding cover crops. They have to make sure they’re using the right rates and mixes, and they need to terminate the crops in the spring. Enrollment is on a first-come, first-served basis, and there’s a cap of 750 acres.

Larry Clemens from The Nature Conservancy is also thrilled about the program. He pointed out that it’s a great way to support Indiana farmers who are leading the charge in soil health practices. With the program expanding from 26 to 50 counties, more farmers can find flexible solutions to enhance their soil health.

This initiative is funded by a Clean Water Indiana grant, along with support from the Cummins Foundation and CenterPoint Foundation. Applications are due by March 15, 2025, or until the funds run out. For more info and to apply, farmers can check out isda.in.gov.